Fierce Church

What Fierce Church does

Fierce Church Inc. is a non-profit Christian church founded in 2009 in Grayslake, Illinois, led by founding pastor Mark Carter (DMin, Liberty University; master's in expository preaching, Moody Bible Institute; master's in Pastoral Ministry, Trinity Seminary). It operates from a single campus at 954 Brae Loch Road, providing weekly in-person worship services on Sundays at 10am, supplemented by online streaming via Fierce Online on YouTube. The congregation is drawn primarily from Grayslake and surrounding Lake County suburbs including Lake Villa, Gurnee, Lindenhurst, and Mundelein, with age-segmented ministries covering birth through 4th grade (Fierce Kids, five classrooms, Gospel Project curriculum), 5th–12th grade (Fierce Teens with Sunday-night Level Ground gatherings and a Fusion middle school group), and adults (Fierce Men, Fierce Women, Mamas + Minis, Bible Recap small groups, Connect Class onboarding, Baptism, and a Serve volunteer program). The church runs a 'Year in the Bible' reading initiative using The Bible Recap on the Bible App. Approximately 10 staff members cover pastoral, worship, care, kids, youth, communications, and operational functions.

The technology stack is built entirely on third-party SaaS rather than proprietary systems: Planning Center / Church Center for giving and member management (replacing Pushpay, which is being phased out), CCB Church for event registration and forms, YouTube for live streaming and sermon archives, GroupMe for community communication, Mailchimp for email, and the Church Center mobile app for congregation access. All services, programs, and events are free to attendees; there is no paid pricing model. Revenue is generated exclusively through voluntary tithes and offerings, accepting cash, recurring online gifts via Church Center, and stock donations. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven — in-person services, community dinners (Summer Suppers), men's and women's gatherings, Mamas + Minis meetups, SixEight middle school events, and a Connect Class funnel for newcomers — supported by top-of-funnel content marketing across the website, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, X, and email newsletters.

The entity is independently operated with no parent company, subsidiaries, institutional investors, funding rounds, or acquisitions disclosed. It carries no patents, certifications, or formal partnerships, and it has not received any public awards or regulatory actions. The sole headquarters is the Grayslake campus; the church does not claim a global footprint but streams services online.

Name

Fierce Church

Legal name

Fierce Church Inc.

Website

https://fierce.church

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fierce Church is a non-profit Christian church in Grayslake, Illinois, founded in 2009. It serves a suburban Chicago congregation through weekly in-person worship, online streaming, and age-segmented ministries for children, teens, and adults, funded entirely by voluntary tithes and offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

Keywords

• Christian church services
• Religious community programs
• Children's ministry
• Youth ministry
• Online worship streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Grayslake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary donations from congregation members following biblical tithing principles (10% of income). Members give through Church Center giving platform or Pushpay. Also accepts stock donations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fierce Church is a Christian church that offers weekly Sunday worship services both in-person at its Grayslake, IL campus and online via live streaming. Its core offering is Bible-centered teaching and modern worship, supported by age-specific ministry programs (children, teens, and adults), community small groups, newcomer onboarding through Connect Class, baptism services, volunteer placement, and community events.

Product overview

Fierce Church is a Christian church in Grayslake, IL offering a unified portfolio of in-person and digital ministry services. The core offering consists of Sunday worship services (both in-person at 954 Brae Loch Road and online via Fierce Online), supplemented by age-specific programs including Fierce Kids (children's ministry with five classrooms and secure check-in), Fierce Teens (youth ministry for 6th-12th graders with Sunday night gatherings), and various adult community groups (Fierce Small Groups, Fierce Men, Fierce Women, Fierce Mamas + Minis). New visitors are onboarded through Connect Class, while Baptism and Serve programs facilitate spiritual commitment and volunteer involvement. The church also runs a Year in the Bible reading initiative and maintains an Events calendar for community gatherings. Giving is managed through Planning Center's Church Center platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services
• Fierce Online
• Fierce Kids
• Fierce Teens
• Fierce Small Groups
• Connect Class
• Baptism Program
• Church Giving
• Year in the Bible
• Events Program
• Serve Program

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Summit Church: J.D. Greear-led multi-site evangelical church known for discipleship focus, modern worship, and digital streaming. Comparable in age-segmented programming and contemporary evangelical positioning.
• North Point Community Church: Andy Stanley-led evangelical church known for practical Bible teaching, modern worship, and small-group-driven community model. Comparable in ministry architecture, age-segmented programming, and outreach strategy.
• Life.Church: One of the largest evangelical churches in the U.S. with a heavy emphasis on digital delivery, the YouVersion Bible App, and online streaming. Comparable in tech-forward approach, online-first content strategy, and free church model.
• Elevation Church: Multi-site evangelical church led by Steven Furtick with contemporary worship, digital streaming, and vertical ministry segmentation. Comparable in production quality, online streaming emphasis, and demographic targeting.
• Saddleback Church: Rick Warren-founded evangelical megachurch with small-group-driven community model, age-segmented ministries, and multi-site presence. Comparable in small-group philosophy, member retention programs, and congregational scale ambitions.
• Willow Creek Community Church: Large evangelical church based in Illinois with multi-site campuses, contemporary worship, and robust children's and youth programs. Most comparable in regional Midwest context, ministry structure, and modern evangelical positioning.
• Church of the Highlands: Large Alabama-based multi-site evangelical church with strong online presence, small groups, and contemporary worship. Comparable in community-led GTM, multi-generational programming, and digital streaming strategy.

Regional players

• Harvest Bible Chapel: Formerly prominent Chicago-area evangelical church with multiple regional campuses. Comparable in evangelical Midwest positioning, expository preaching emphasis, and small-group model.

Others

• Pushpay: Digital giving platform serving churches and non-profits, formerly used by Fierce Church. Compares as an ecosystem/infrastructure provider in the church tech stack rather than a direct peer.

Broad incumbents

• Gateway Church: Texas-based multi-site evangelical church with extensive children's, youth, and online ministries. A larger incumbent operating with similar ministry segmentation and digital outreach approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fiercechurch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFr2LiRbQ2GukavC9oNjd7A
• Facebookfacebook.com/FierceChurch
• Instagraminstagram.com/fiercechurch
• TikToktiktok.com/@fiercechurch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/torch-church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fierce Church